by Isaac Winter
Then it stopped.
I blinked my eyes open, expecting the worst. But I never could have expected what I saw instead. I stood in a library, stacks looming in all directions. It looked like the library from the Academy, a little bit. But things were different, too. Huge leather-bound tomes lay open on desks and tables, flickering by candlelight. My heart raced as my mind tried to keep up. How did I get here? What was going on? I looked down at my hands and feet, surely burnt to a crisp by the fire. They were fine, unmarred as ever. This was not normal!
I stepped through the stacks, feeling a draw toward the back of the room like a magnet. I didn't know why, but I had to see what was back there. My heart thudded in time with my footsteps as I walked past the silent shelves. On the back table, laying on a plush velvet cloth, lay an ornate leather volume that looked strangely familiar. A black opal peeked out from the cover like an eye, seeming to watch me as I moved. It gave me the creeps, to be honest, but I couldn't stop looking at it.
"Touch it," A wispy voice came from nowhere. I whirled around, looking for the source. I couldn't find any. Okay, this was seriously freaking me out. My eyes widened as my hand reached out, almost of its own volition. I drew nearer and held my breath. Whatever this was, it couldn't be good. But I had to know. I flipped open the cover, and all hell broke loose.
I woke, gasping, in a puddle of my own sweat. Holy shit... I put a hand over my chest, willing it to stop beating so frantically. I'd never been the type for nightmares, but that was crazy! I looked down at my hands again, almost expecting to see burn scars. My fingers still tingled from the flames. How was it that the dream had felt so real?
I got out of bed, shaking my head. So what, it was a nightmare. Nothing to get worked up over. And my fingers were tingling cause I often slept on my arm the wrong way. Happened all the time. I shook my head, trying to talk some sense into myself.
Nothing a strong drink wouldn't fix.
I padded over to the kitchen and peered into the liquor cabinet. A long forgotten bottle of whiskey sat in the back. I'd cleaned out the rest of my stores and hadn't had a chance to replenish. Grabbing the bottle and a tumbler, I poured a few fingers and added ice.
It was still dark outside, silent with the stillness of midnight. I walked around and turned on all the lights I could to banish the shadows. Taking a shaky sip of my drink, I sunk into my chair in the living room. You've got to get a hold of yourself.
The warmth of the whiskey flowed through my body, making me feel a little more relaxed. The bizarre book and the flaming runes still lingered in my thoughts, no matter how much I tried to shake them away. I thought I saw a glow out of the corner of my eye and whipped around, but it was gone. No matter. I was just seeing things. Totally normal.
I turned on the space heater and pulled a blanket over me. The chill in the air had only been growing, and the heating system here took a while to catch up. As I sat there and nursed my drink, my thoughts kept returning to the mysterious book I'd left wrapped in my bag. Surely it didn't have something to do with all this...
With a sigh, I threw off my blanket. I wasn't going to be able to get any sleep until I figured out what was in there. With any luck, it was just one of the books I'd requested from the library. Totally boring and non magical. Might as well check it out.
I wrinkled my brow as I looked through my bag. The package wasn't there. I thought for sure I left it in my bag, but perhaps I'd moved it? You're getting old, Winston. Already misplacing stuff. I started looked around near where I'd set my bag down. It wasn't there either.
I frowned and shivered as a chill went through me. Even with the heater on, it was much too cold. Why was it so cold? First the damn nightmare, and now my book was missing. I knocked back the rest of my drink and set it aside. This was going to be a long night.
The bookshelves didn't offer any respite, for once. The book wasn't there. It wasn't under the couch, by the door, or forgotten on a table. Where had it gone? I scratched my head and sighed again. All I wanted was a nice, quiet life of research and academia. Was that too much to ask?
Apparently, yes, it was. I hung my head, defeated. It would turn up eventually. Laurie's translations peeked out at me from the desk. Well, at least I still had work to do.
I poured myself another drink and sat down to work. Not like I was getting back to sleep anytime soon.
I was so immersed in my work I almost didn't hear the thump that came from behind me. It sounded like something heavy falling on to the floor. I set down my tools and swiveled around. My eyes widened. There was the missing package, laying on the floor next to the bookshelf. How in the world? I got up, walking closer to it. I must have just overlooked it the first time around. Definitely.
You're going crazy, old man.
Shaking those delirious thoughts away, I picked up the package and looked at it in earnest for the first time. It was surprisingly heavy for its size, and felt warm to the touch despite the chill in the air. How strange. I sat down in my wingback chair and considered it. Might as well do this now.
Here goes nothing, I thought, and I untied the twine keeping it sealed. The brown kraft paper crinkled as it folded open, and my heart leapt into my throat as I saw the contents.
A worn leather volume sat inside the wrapping. What it lacked in size it made up for in thickness. I turned it, trying to read the spine. No title, as far as I could tell. The deckle-edged pages stuck out at odd angles, giving it a handmade appearance. When I flipped the book over to see the front cover, I really wished I hadn't.
A single, glittering onyx stared up at me from the center of the cover, surrounded with gold filigree. I shuddered. Just like in my dream...in my nightmare. I covered it with the wrapping paper, taking a deep breath. It was just a dream, after all. But how did I dream about the very tome I held in my hands, before ever seeing it?
My eyes traced the star charts on the ceiling, looking for a bit of peace. It was a calming enough strategy, but didn't change the fact that the mysterious book now lay before me, in the real world. I fingered the smooth stone and the filigrees around the edges. Whoever made this book was a master of their craft. It looked like it had been modified over time, perhaps by several owners. I'd heard of books being passed down generation to generation, family histories and the like. The hollow feeling in my gut told me this was nothing so innocent.
One thing was certain: this was not the book I'd requested from the library. And whoever had left it for me knew my name. I was hardly well-known; there were only a few people it could be. But why?
The clock ticked forward in the background, the only sound other than the thump of my heart against my chest. I gathered my courage, uncovering the book again. I was a scientist, dammit. I didn't get scared off by "magic". There was an explanation for everything, and this book was no exception. All I had to do to set my fears to rest was simply open the book, ascertain that it contained no runes or other paranormal elements, and that would be that. It was just a book, after all. I'd worked with books all my life. They were my friends. It didn't make sense that I'd get so wrapped up in superstition all the sudden.
Of course, the disappearance earlier hadn't helped. I gulped, setting my jaw. Time to do this. Clasping the fine leather cover, I opened the book.
No monsters spilled forth. I didn't go blind. No magical runes ate away at my flesh. It was just a book. A normal book. I let out a sigh of relief, but it was short lived once I saw the inscription on the first page:
Property of Dr. Tobias T. Crane.
3
I shut the book, scuttling backwards. Dr. Crane was dead…wasn’t he? Of course, this book could have come from Crane when he worked at the Academy. Nothing weird about that. But the way all these dots were connecting didn’t make me feel any better.
One year after Crane’s disappearance, poor Mabel went as well. And then Crane’s book showed up on my doorstep, a book I’d only seen in a nightmare. I didn’t believe in coincidence, but this was definitely looking lik
e one.
If this truly was Crane’s journal or something, then maybe I could finally shed some light on his departure. Maybe this is what we needed all along. No one had been able to find records of what he’d been working on, but now I had this book. Perhaps it was the key to him, and Mabel too. Perhaps it could solve everything.
With a renewed vigor, I opened the book, flipping the pages. My heart sank. Bare parchment stared up at me. They were blank. “Oh, come on,” I groaned and flipped through the rest of the pages. Nothing. I slammed the book shut, tossing it aside. Useless.
The clock hanging on the wall read 3:12 a.m., and I still wasn’t sleepy. If anything, I was even more awake. And even more confused. Things would look better in the light of day. They had to. Tomorrow, I could call the Director and hand over the book. He could deal with it. For now, I was going to get some rest.
I flopped over into the bed with a sigh.
Crane…runes…mysterious books…is this how he felt, before he vanished?
“Hello, Dr. Tanner?”
“Winston,” the voice yawned. “How nice to hear from you, but do you have any idea what time it is?”
“Yeah, yeah,” I said. “Listen, I’ve got something you might want. Might help with the Mabel case. Can you come over?"
"Right now?" he complained. "It's 6 a.m."
"It's important," I pressed. "Or I wouldn't be asking. You've gotta see this. Trust me."
A long silence hung on the line. Finally, Tanner's voice returned.
"...Fine. See you in twenty."
Tanner arrived, still looking rather grumpy. Not my fault he wasn't a morning person. Neither was I, really, but the lack of sleep made me one against my will.
"Now what's all this about, Winston? Couldn't it wait?"
"I'm afraid not, sir." I took a seat and pulled off the wrapping to Crane's book. "Right after Mabel disappeared, I found this at my door. It was addressed to me by hand. Know anything about it?"
Tanner narrowed his eyes, thinking. "That is a rather unusual book you have there. I would remember seeing something like it."
"Well you see," I began, not sure how to choose my words. He's going to think I'm crazy. "I think this may be related to the disappearances."
"You're not suggesting the Mabel and Crane cases are related?"
"I'm not sure, but I'm starting to think they are. Take a look at this." I flipped open the cover, feeling a chill down my spine. Crane's handwriting peeked out from the parchment in neat, tidy letters.
"What about it?" Tanner asked, unimpressed.
"Dr. Tobias Crane!" I said, pointing to the name. "This book was his, and someone wanted me to have it, yesterday of all days. Don't you find that a little strange?"
At the mention of Crane's name, the air in the room changed. It was already cold, but now it felt like a draft whipped through the room, fluttering the pages.
"Don't you have heat in this place?" Tanner asked irritably.
I rolled my eyes. Now so wasn't the time. When I looked back at the book, orange symbols began to appear, weaving their way over the page like fire. Oh no...
"Look, right there!" I shouted, pointing at the page. "The runes!"
"What are you talking about, Winston?" Tanner said. His brow furrowed and he looked more grumpy by the minute. "So you found an old book with Crane's name in it. Good job. But unless you have some real evidence to show me, I'll be going."
He wasn't listening to me at all! Anger and fear bubbled through my blood in equal amounts and when I spoke again my voice shook. "With all due respect sir, can you not see those letters on the page? They're glowing, for God's sake!"
Tanner stared at me for a long time, his expression changing to something like pity. "Winston," He said finally. "You've been working too hard again. The stress of Mabel's disappearance has been hard on everyone, and we all have our own coping strategies, but it sounds like you need to get some rest. That's just a blank page."
I froze. "Come on, seriously!" I shrieked, my voice reaching a fever pitch. "You mean to tell me you can't see those? They're right there! I'm not making this up!" They grew brighter, forming into what must have been words. I could read a lot of languages, but this one I'd never seen before. And it scared me.
Tanner put a hand on my shoulder and frowned. Dammit, he did think I was crazy. "I'm sorry, Winston. There's nothing there."
I sat there dumbly as Tanner got up and grabbed his coat. "I do hope you'll get some rest. The Department needs you." With that, he left.
The room was silent. Too silent. The clock ticked away, mocking me. How the hell could he not see the runes? Was he blind, or was I really going crazy?
Or maybe... I gulped. Maybe my dream is coming true. I shivered from head to foot at the thought.
Carrying the book over to my desk, I swiped away Laurie's translations, paper scattering the floor as I did so. I didn't care. This was more important. I trained my desk lamp on the manuscript, illuminating it the best I could. Yup, those were definitely glowing orange runes, all right.
I tried to remember what made them show up. Right, his name. "Dr. Tobias Crane," I said again, and was swiftly rewarded.
Whatever was going on here, Crane's name seemed to be some sort of password. I flipped through the pages, taking care not to touch the glowing parts. Words, English words, now appeared across the pages in Crane's handwriting. I grabbed my reading glasses and began.
Absolutely incredible. Not only had Crane devised a method to hide his writing from unwanted eyes, he'd discovered a whole new language. Besides the inherent linguistic interest, this opened up all new questions about his work and his departure. If he'd made such a big discovery, what happened to him?
The book was a journal of sorts and contained several dated entries about various topics, mostly on the runic language. As I kept reading, things started going a little off the rails.
Crane started talking about a "Veil", whatever that was. And then he went off on tangents about levels and points and skills like he was playing some video game in the meantime. I scratched my head. None of that had anything to do with this research! It made everything even more confusing.
Just when I thought I couldn't get any more baffled, I reached the last page.
Winston, would you like to come with me? Would you like to see what I have seen?
I nearly dropped the book in shock. What the hell! I didn't even know Crane that well when he vanished. If Crane had written it that long ago, there was no reason he'd write a direct question to me in there, hoping I'd find it someday. And the alternative was even weirder. It meant that Crane was still alive, still around, and had some kind of hand in all this. It meant that he wanted to spirit me away too. Maybe like what happened to Mabel.
I wanted nothing more than to stay out of it. I wanted things to go back to normal. Back to my books and papers and research and Laurie pestering me about translations. But that wasn't an option anymore.
I flipped through the pages again, and the runes called out to me. If no one would believe me, I had to do something about this myself. If I could find out what happened to Crane and maybe even Mabel, I'd be a hero. I had to try.
Grabbing a pen from the side table, I turned to the last page, eyed the strangely personal message one more time, and wrote 'Yes'.
It felt like an earthquake. The book clattered to the floor, laying open as the shining orange runes spilled forth. Not good! My vision flickered as if someone had turned off the lights. I tried to blink it away to no avail. Suddenly, a message appeared across my vision:
System Message: Now entering the Veil. Please wait...
A whooshing sound like the roar of the ocean filled my ears and then it all went silent. I went under, the runes enveloping me.
4
System Message: A new Traveler has entered the Veil. Welcome. Your Guardian will spawn shortly.
I blinked the message away, shaking my head. Where was I? Last thing I remembered, I sat in my living room with a mys
terious book propped in my lap. Glowing runes, runes that only I could see, apparently, spilled forth out of nowhere and I blacked out.
Now I was here. But where was here, exactly?
I stood on a grassy field, looking out over rolling hills and lush forests. Hobbiton called, I thought. They want their set pieces back. Birds chirped and flew through the air. Lazy clouds floated through the sky past a warm sun that filled the landscape with light. A small town lay a few miles to the north, and a few people walked along the worn footpaths. They were too far to call out to.
I spun around, looking behind me. A quiet river meandered its way across the land and the opening to a cave yawned in the distance. All in all, the realm was totally idyllic and bucolic in a sleepy, cozy kind of way. It reminded me of the Dungeons and Dragons games I played when I was a kid. Only, in those games you had to be careful. Whenever something looked too innocent, that meant something even worse was lurking right beneath the surface. I had to stay on my guard.
Someone tapped me on the shoulder and I nearly jumped out of my skin.
I whirled around and was even more surprised at what I saw. A six-foot-tall woman stood before me, alabaster skin glowing in the sunlight. Her blond hair hung loose toward her waist and she wore sparse clothing, only a flowing white sheet around her lithe figure. What the hell?
"Welcome, new Traveler," she spoke, extending a hand. "Welcome to the Veil."
I backed away. For some reason, I didn't want to take her hand. Looked too ghostly to be real. I had too many questions at once, but the first one that came out was, "How did I get here?"
"You're here because you are meant for more in this life. You've always had a strong imagination, haven't you? Always been a little dissatisfied where you were?"
I opened my mouth to retort, then shut it. As much as I hated to admit it, she was right. My imagination had gotten me into a load of trouble more times than I could count, but I thought joining academia was the mature way out of that. At least I could put my mind to work there. And besides, I thought, everyone in the university system was a little nuts. What was one more?
